


Jasper

by CarleyT



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Redemption, angst because why not, of what happened, possible fluff maybe smut, someone needs to be told the truth, uncorruption because everyone deserves a second chance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-20 14:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14896676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarleyT/pseuds/CarleyT
Summary: Ever since the reveal, one thing has been on Steven's mind. Many gems were hurt, but a few deserve the most to know the truth, one in particular. Follow Steven as he tries to begin to right his mother's wrongs...who knows what will happen in the process, but Steven is determined to help however he can.





	1. Chapter 1

The room was dark, the only light coming from the fire reflecting off of the multi-colored bubbles floating about. Bubbles meant to protect and keep safe. The room was dark, but the thoughts of one bubbled gem were even darker.

 

*** 

 

_ The war was in full blast, literally, as Jasper rolled to her feet as a bolt of electricity was hurled her way. It was an agate.  _

 

_ How the traitorous Crystal Gems managed to get an agate to join their side was beyond her, but this one was relentless. The aforementioned gem reached into the gem on her forehead and pulled out another slingshot, the power charging to maximum capacity.  _

 

_ Jasper growled, shouting as she jumped out of the way. She could feel a spark catch at her boot, and she quickly shook it out before it could catch fire. She had her helmet on, but wished she hadn't dropped her sword somewhere when fighting that ruby. That stubborn gem actually put up a good fight before being poofed.  _

 

_ The sword would have come in handy now, especially as she managed to duck just in time for the next shot. The ball just barely grazed the top of her head, scorching the hair there.  _

 

_ The agate clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Can you stop moving for one second?”  _

 

_ Jasper scoffed. If there was one gem she couldn't stand, it was an agate. That was saying something, as Jasper was not fond of most gems. She looked around for something she could use to end this, anything. She eyed a decent sized boulder about six feet away. If only… _

 

_ “How did they get you to join their side?”  _

 

_ The agate scowled. “What?” she asked, focus still sharp as she pulled back the band of the slingshot.  _

 

_ “Those tra-the Crystal Gems,” she corrected herself quickly.  _

 

_ “I am one of those Crystal Gems,” the agate sneered.  _

 

_ Jasper resisted the urge to roll her eyes. In the distance she could hear the shouts of fighting and explosions and metal hitting metal. “I meant, what made you go to their side? You had a pretty good position back on Homeworld didn't you?” She was four feet away from the boulder.  _

 

_ The agate lowered her slingshot a little. “What are you getting at  _ Jasper _ ,” the name was said with clear malice, but a little bit of curiosity as well. If there was one thing Jasper could count on with agates, they were notoriously nosy.  _

 

_ “What I am getting at is, you were a high ranking gem of Yellow Diamond’s court, what made you decided to lower yourself to the rebels?” Three feet away.  _

 

_ The agate lowered the slingshot a little bit more. “Didn't you know?” she asked.  _

 

_ Jasper did not care to know anything about her enemy, but she was two feet away now. “Know what?”  _

 

_ The agate lowered her slingshot completely as she answered. “I was going to be harvested.” _

 

_ Her eyes were downcast, and for a brief moment, Jasper allowed the tiniest amount of sympathy to show on her face. She could understand the fear with the threat of being harvested or shattered, but in Jasper's mind, if you were going to go down, you did so remaining loyal to the Diamond you served.  _

 

_ But then didn't think about it too much because she was one foot away. She launched herself at the boulder, picking it up, the muscles on her arms and legs rippling with the force and heavy weight of the object. She grunted once, twice, swinging her body around, and she tossed the boulder in the agate's direction.  _

 

_ The agate looked up, eyes wide as the boulder came flying straight at her. There was a scream, and then nothing. The boulder landed, sending up a flurry of dust that made Jasper cough as it settled. When it did finally settle, Jasper climbed up the rock the agate had been standing on.  _

 

_ Only the gem was left. A large crack ran up the front of it. Jasper had to give credit where credit was due, the agate was surprising strong durability wise, they were tough to crack let alone shatter. Jasper was on the mentality of poof and move on, however, this gem had been nothing but trouble. She didn't know her long at all, being fairly new herself, but an agate was an agate. She knew enough about them to know that she hated them. It was time to finish this particular one off.  _

 

_ “Such a shame,” she thought as she brought her foot up, “this gem went from being respected to despicable. Time to end it,” as she brought her foot down again. _

 

_ A whistle pierced through the air, loud and shrill. The sounds of battle stopped and it was immediately and eerily quiet. Jasper’s foot hovered three inches from the agate gem. The whistle sounded again, and it was even louder in the quiet, and more urgent sounding. All at once there was the sound of thundering feet. Adrenaline spiked through Jasper as she whirled around to see what was going on.  _

 

_ An amethyst was rushing by. She had a yellow diamond insignia on her front, so Jasper assumed she was on their side. Jasper leapt off the rock onto her path. “What is going on?”  _

_ The amethyst glared, coming to a halt. “Get out of the way!” she demanded.  _

 

_ Jasper huffed, grabbing the Amethyst by the arm. “Look here. I asked you a question. What. Is. Going. On?” She squeezed the arm each time she enunciated each word. _

 

_ The amethyst looked nervous in that moment as she rushed to pry her arm from Jasper's grasp. “Didn't you hear the whistle? We have to retreat.”  _

 

_ Jasper let the Amethyst go and raised an eyebrow. “Retreat? Why?”  _

 

_ Free, the Amethyst darted off answering, “I have no idea.”  _

 

_ Jasper growled in annoyance as more gems rushed passed her, no one would answer her questions. Giving up, she followed the crowd, pushing and shoving gems out of the way.  _

_ Whatever was going on was causing a mass panic, and Jasper did not want to be caught in the middle of that.  _

 

_ Ships were landing and carrying gems away, while the ever relentless Crystal Gems still kept up the fight, poofing the retreating soldiers. Jasper had to admit, he admired their perseverance, but couldn't they see, the Homeworld gems were retreating? She hated to admit it, but it almost looked as though the traitors won this battle. She hadn't realized she was completely stopped until a gem bumped into her. She jumped, looking over as the last ship she could see began taking off into the sky. She was not about to be stranded here.  _

 

_ “Wait!” she cried, hating the sound of fear and panic in her voice. She jumped up as high as she could and grabbed onto the ledge as the door was closing. Hoisting herself up, she rolled into the ship, almost cutting her hand off in the process as the door slammed shut. She grumbled, grabbing her wrist.  _

 

_ Two Citrines were standing side-by-side looking grim. They were both of Pink Diamond’s soldiers, she had seen them before, albeit briefly.  _

 

_ “Jasper, good you made it,” one said by way of greeting.  _

 

_ Jasper scowled. “Will someone let me know what is going on now? Why was there call for retreat? We would have won!”  _

 

_ The other citrine shook her head. “No we couldn't have.”  _

 

_ Jasper stared at her. “Why not?”  _

 

_ The first citrine whispered, “Pink Diamond was shattered.”  _

 

_ Jasper's eyes flew open wide in shock. “Impossible,” she bellowed in disbelief.  _

 

_ The citrines shook their heads. “The leader of the Crystal Gems struck her down. The Diamonds sent in the request for a retreat so they could finish the war. Anyone left on earth will be…”  _

 

_ But Jasper was not hearing the rest. Pink Diamond. Her diamond. Shattered? It didn't seem real, this couldn't be happening.  _

 

_ The citrines gave her a sympathetic look, but she didn't want their sympathy, she wanted revenge, and she didn't care what the consequences were. She wanted immediate gratification at taking down the leader. She had seen her twice before and made a vow to take her on head to head. Well, now was as good a time as any.  _

 

_ Jasper turned around and began trying to pry the door open. The metal grunted as she yanked and tugged at it. The ship began rocking with the momentum she was causing.  _

 

_ “What are you doing?” one of the citrines asked, grabbing one of Jasper's arms in an attempt to get her to stop.  _

 

_ “Let go of me,” Jasper snarled, throwing the gem off.  _

 

_ “If you leave, you'll be destroyed, you'll destroy all of us!” the other citrine cried anxiously. _

 

_ Jasper ignored them. Worthless, traitors. They only cared about themselves. _

 

_ But the more Jasper tried to open the door, the more futile it was becoming. On the verge of giving up, Jasper began using her fists and pounding at the door. She heard a noise behind her and turned around in time to see the two citrines poofed.  _

 

_ An Obsidian was standing nearby with a destabilizer wand. They were newer and only a prototype, but from the look of things, it had worked in poofing not one, but two gems. She gave Jasper a pointed look, and Jasper stopped her last attempts at escape. “You now belong to Yellow Diamond. When you reform, you are to reform as a member of her court with the correct color of diamond, or there will be consequences,” she stated simply.  _

 

_ How could anyone be so calm about this? Jasper herself felt as though she would explode, the rage was boiling up through her body, and all she saw was red.  _

 

_ Jasper looked the gem up and down. She was wearing all black to match her coloring, and had a belt on with a yellow diamond in the middle. The diamond was the only thing that stuck out amongst the black. Her dull gray/black gem was located on her shoulder. Maybe if Jasper could…  _

 

_ The obsidian stabbed the wand into Jasper’s side, and Jasper felt a bolt of electricity run deep through her core. Just before she poofed, she could see the look the obsidian gave her, it was almost apologetic, which was surprising coming from a gem like that.  _

 

_ Jasper knew she had failed. She failed to protect her Diamond, and she had failed to take down the one who did it. She was worthless. The pain and loss due to her failure was something she would never forget.  _

 

**** 

 

The door of the burning room opened, letting in the soft light from outside. Two small hands grabbed the purple bubble containing an orange gem that was beginning to turn green around the edges. The boy sighed, speaking to the gem in the bubble. “I don't know if you can hear me, but I am going to help you. I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven hasn't been sleeping very well and tries to figure out how to help Jasper instead.

Steven was having trouble sleeping. He had been tossing and turning all night for a few nights. It had nothing to do with the fact that he found out his mother was Pink Diamond, and by some extent so was he. Well, it was, a little...but he was slowly getting over the shock, as were the others. 

Garnet was...coping, Pearl had began humming to herself again, and Amethyst was fine, though she preferred to spend most of her newfound spare time getting Peridot out of the house. Steven had joined a few times, but he never had as much fun as he faked having and he believed Amethyst could tell.

No, what was bothering Steven was the fact that the Diamonds had retaliated because they believed their sister was dead. They destroyed thousands of gems for no reason, though they didn't know that. Steven didn't necessarily blame them, but he wished there was another way. The main problem was that there were still a bunch of corrupted gems running around, and millions more bubbled in the temple. His mom hadn't been able to help any of them, and neither could the gems, though he understood that. But what he didn't get was that his mom was a diamond, surely she could have done something about it, other than bubbling them?

Steven was up all night because he felt partially responsible. He wanted to help them, to explain things and apologize. He wanted to heal them, but he had no idea how. 

Certain gems deserved the truth, they all did, but the ones that especially did were Bismuth and Jasper. Steven would have been lying if he said Bismuth didn't scare him. He was pretty sure the news might make her more mad, and he didn't want that right now. Besides, she wasn't corrupted because of this. He felt bad, but his main concern was Jasper. He was also afraid of Jasper, but only slightly. He believed Jasper might change once she found out the truth. She deserved that much at least, to know what really happened to her diamond.

Steven sat up in bed, his head pounding from a lack of sleep. He wanted to close his eyes, but he knew he would just see what he had seen every night. Jasper becoming corrupted, refusing his help. Bismuth calling him a liar and a coward, the sword going through her form close to her gem.

He shook his head, standing up and throwing the covers back over it in a semi angry fashion. He went downstairs and considered going to the temple, the burning room specifically, but he stopped himself. 

Garnet hadn't really been out of there for awhile, just to say goodmorning to Steven, or goodnight. He didn’t feel like bothering her, and she would most likely know what he wanted to do and advise against it.

If Steven wanted to try and heal anyone, he would have to do it secretly, without any of the gems around. He knew Garnet would find out eventually, probably first. Sometimes future vision was unfair. But he had to do what he could before he got caught. For his sake, and the sake of the corrupted gems. 

Instead, Steven turned around and walked outside. The cool night air calmed him. He could hear the crickets and the waves crashing along the shore. The smell of salt from the sea washed through him, and he kicked off his sandals and headed down to the water. The sand tickled his toes, but he didn't mind, it felt nice. Steven sat in the sand and let the very edge of the cool water wash the sand from his toes. He breathed in deeply as he tried to calm his stormy thoughts. 

If he could only get to Jasper without unbubbling her, or get into her head somehow like he did Pearl's...but that was with Pearl's permission, someone like Jasper who was currently distrustful and hateful of the gems would never allow that, especially while corrupted. Would the healing spit work? They had worked a little on Centi for a short time, and she had been corrupted longer...no but that would require letting her out, something he would be in big trouble for. Regardless, it hadn't stopped him in the past but he wanted to do this right, and the gems already had enough to deal with at the moment, he couldn't just go behind their back like that anymore.

So much for calming his thoughts. Steven stood abruptly. Maybe a walk would help? He had never really done that before, but he heard people say “I'm gonna take a walk to clear my head,” so maybe doing that helped. 

And so he walked along the shore in his pj's and bare feet. Steven had to admit that doing this was nice, but...he was still thinking about everything. He just wished he could stop thinking...or, at least talk to someone about what he was feeling? But he could't, he wouldn't make this about himself, even if other gems were involved. The gems needed time to heal and come back together. Besides, they would never understand his intentions. Well...maybe eventually they would, but they would try to stop him multiple times before doing so.

The sky was changing from a dark to a dull blue color when Steven made his way back to the temple, more tired and frustrated now than he was when he came outside. He let the door slam shut behind him, not caring that it bounced off the hinges.

Pearl looked up from her spot on the couch. “Oh, Steven, there you are.” Steven had expected her to say something about slamming doors, or question him on his whereabouts until early this morning, but none of that came. 

“Hi Pearl,” he greeted. “How are you?” It wasn't just a ‘how are you this morning,’ it was more of an overall concerned 'how are you doing?'.

“Oh, you know me, I am just great, Pearl shrugged with a little laugh, but Steven could see her fingers fidgety on shaky hands, the only sign that she was in fact, not doing great. 

“Anything you wanna talk about?” he asked, hesitantly.

“We-well…” Pearl stammered, looking to the temple door with a sad look in her eyes.

“Garnet still isn't speaking with you?” Steven asked. He hated it when his teammates fought, especially Garnet and Pearl. And they had appeared to be getting so much closer after the first incident involving Sardonyx.

“Garnet is...mad at me. Not that I blame her really. But it's more than that, it's Ruby and Sapphire too. They are all understandably upset. It's just, I want to tell her everything, I want to be able to tell you everything! Your mother, who she was, why she did...what she did. She really did care about the earth and protecting it. But I-” her hands flew up to her mouth and she didn't even bother trying to fight them away.

Guilt raced through Steven as he sighed sadly. “But you still can't talk about it. I am so sorry Pearl, if I knew how to take back the order I would.”

Pearl's hands dropped from her mouth and she smiled down at the couch, picking some of the fluff poking out, something she told Steven not to do many times. He could see the tears in her eyes and reached out to wipe them away. When she gently grabbed his hands, he looked up at her. “I know you would Steven. This isn't your fault. None of it is. Please don't blame yourself, no one is mad at you.”

Steven looked at Pearl with soft eyes. “It isn't yours either Pearl. You were just doing what mom told you to do. It wasn't right. I'm not mad at you and neither will Garnet and Amethyst be soon.” At least he hoped that was the case. Them fighting certainly did not make things any easier on him, about any of this. 

Pearl reached forward and wrapped him in a hug, tears dripping onto his shoulder. Steven squeezed back, putting as much love and admiration as he could into that hug.

“I love you Pearl,” Steven said after a while.

Pearl smiled into his shoulder. “I love you too Steven.” She pulled back, the tears receding. “But you have to know that while I wasn't able to say anything due to the order, I wasn't forced into faking-” her hands jumped in her lap and she immediately stopped talking, giving Steven an apologetic look.

Steven sighed. That was something else he was going to do everything in his power to fix. Every single time Pearl forced herself to stop talking against her will, it broke his heart and made him angry at his mom for doing that to the person who might just have respected and adored her the most. 

“I-I wasn't forced into anything,” she said quickly, "not really. I did it because I believed at the time that your mother was right, and that her plan would fix everything. I did it because I wanted to as well, I believed we would be free.”

Steven nodded. "I understand," he whispered, but he didn't, not really. He couldn't begin to imagine what that must have been like, both your friend and your diamond? Being that loyal to a person both because you had to but also wanted to? And sure, Pearl said she had a choice, and Rose, Pink? Ugh. No, his mom didn't force her to do anything, but loyalty made you do things you sometimes that you wouldn't normally do. Steven saw the memory, his mother did not force her but Steven knew that Pearl would have done almost anything his mother asked of her.

Pearl sighed, rubbing her eyes. She wrapped her arm around Steven and pulled him close. He rested his head on her chest, and she on his curly hair. “Thank you Steven. You always know how to make me feel better.”

Steven smiled at that, always ready to help someone. “You're welcome,” he yawned, closing his eyes. 

The sun may have been up now, but he had been up for too long. It wasn't perhaps the best sleep he had ever gotten, but compared to several days of endless tossing and turning, it was great. 

When Steven awoke, the sun was high in the sky and Amethyst and Pearl were speaking quietly to one another beside him, Pearl idly playing with his hair. He listened quietly as the two whispered so as not to wake him. Amethyst seemed to be listening as Pearl tried explaining everything the best she could. Steven was glad they seemed to be talking about it, even though the real gem to talk to about this was Garnet, but he had the feeling that Pearl wanted to talk to each one of them individually, albeit privately, so he shifted a bit in his spot.

Amethyst and Pearl went quiet. 

Steven blinked and rolled around so he was looking up at them.

Pearl smiled down at him. “How did you sleep?” She had small tear tracks down her face but they could have been from when Steven talked to her in the morning, or from talking with Amethyst, but she wasn't crying now, which was good.

Steven yawned and stretched. “Pretty good actually.” If he was honest, it was better than he had gotten in a while.

Pearl laughed. “Glad I could be of service,” she joked.

Steven sat up. “Well, I am gonna go out for a bit, maybe visit Peedee or someone.” He wanted to let Amethyst and Pearl continue their talk so he would give them space. Pearl needed to realize that they didn't hate her for any of this, they were just hurt and confused. 

Pearl gave him a small smile, and a look that said ‘  
__  
Thank you’.  


Steven nodded once, and then walked out, shutting the door softly behind him. He started on his way to the boardwalk to get some bits, but then an idea formed in his head. Maybe he did know someone that could help him fix some of his mother’s problems, or at the very least consider options and not just blatantly shut the idea down. But the only way to find out was to go to her house, so that's where he found himself heading to instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A talk with Pearl really needs to happen, and I don't want Steven and Pearl to lose their closeness after the reveal, I want Steven to continue to help Pearl get over Rose and heal, this was just a massive obstacle. 
> 
> I am not sure how much Connie will be able to help, but we shall find out.
> 
> I was going to wait to post these two chapters until I had more written, but I figured posting what I had now would motivate me to write more. There are more chapters in the works, I just want to take my time with this, but be on the lookout.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven talks to Connie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally summer! No tests, no school, college is starting this fall and I can't wait, and we should be finding out the release dates for new Steven Universe episodes this summer in about a week. 
> 
> This chapter is a little short. Some of them will be shorter than others...I was going to add more to this chapter, but I think I will just make a new one instead, and keep this one as is. Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also, I have no idea how old Steven or Connie are. Steven has to at least be fifteen now, and Connie probably isn't too far behind. So for the sake of the chapter, Connie is a freshman. You can give her an age in your head if you would like.

Connie was officially done with school for the year. Eighth grade had been a breeze as had seventh and sixth grade. She hoped freshman year would be a bit more of a challenge, but she was excited for it all the same. 

 

Summer was her favorite time though, or at least it was now. Before, she had always preferred the school year, but ever since meeting Steven, she liked summer the best, because it meant she could hang out with him more. 

 

She couldn’t wait for training lessons, more missions, and just general things like hanging out with her best friend and swimming in the ocean. 

 

Sure, the news of Steven’s mother, Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond was a shock to everyone, but Connie knew that she could help by being there for Steven when and if he needed her, she always would be. And _ if _ the Diamonds did come to the Earth, well, that just meant Connie would need to train more to be able to protect Steven. 

 

She pulled out her phone to text him and tell him school was done for the year, but there was a knock on her door. Strange, she wasn’t expecting anyone. She looked through the peephole in the door (Dr. Maheswaran didn’t mess around when it came to safety) and was startled. She unlocked and threw open the door. “Steven?”

 

Steven was lightly panting as if he had jogged to get there. 

 

Maybe he had, Connie wasn’t sure, she didn’t see lion or the gems anywhere, and Greg’s van was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Hey...Connie,” Steven panted.

 

“Hi Steven. What are you doing here?” Connie wondered.

 

“I needed to talk to you, it’s important.”

 

“Oh. Alright, come in,” Connie said, gesturing inside her home. “Mi casa es tu casa.”

 

Steven gave her a look. “Was’ that mean?”

 

Connie felt her face get warm. “Oh, well I took Spanish this year as part of my languages class. I just said, my house is your house in spanish.”

 

“Oh, neat.” Steven said, standing in the living room. 

 

Connie closed the door, she could already hear her mother complaining later about the arrival of flies in the house. “You can sit down if you would like,” she motioned toward the couch upon seeing him just standing there. She wondered what this was all about. Surely it couldn’t be as bad as Steven’s mother being the reason the whole war started in the first place, and almost every remaining gem on earth being corrupted because of her faked shattering? 

 

Steven slowly walked to the couch, hands fidgeting.

 

Connie joined him and turned to him with concerned eyes. “Steven, is everything alright?”

 

Steven sighed. “Kinda.”

 

“How are the gems? Are they better?”

 

Steven nodded. “I think they are getting there. Pearl and Amethyst were talking this morning. I think Garnet still needs more time though.”

 

Connie put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Her parents rarely got into fights, but when they did, it was usually pretty loud, and her mother usually won. But they were only verbal fights that lasted no longer than a minute or two, and everything was fine after. 

 

Steven had once told her that Garnet and Pearl weren’t speaking because Pearl kept tricking Garnet into fusing with her, and it took several days for them to make up. She could only imagine what things were like for him at home right now.

 

“Well, at least Pearl and Amethyst are talking about it. That’s a start.”

 

Steven nodded. “Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “But I didn’t really come here to talk about that,” he admitted.

 

“Oh, right,” Connie’s face flushed. “What did you want to talk about?” He seemed so lost and upset, Connie just wanted to give him a hug. She decided it was probably best to hear what he had to say first though.

 

“It’s…ugh, alright, bare with me okay?” Steven breathed.

 

Connie gave a slight nod, unsure of where exactly this conversation was headed. She folded her hands in her lap and gave Steven her utmost attention.

 

Steven took a deep breath and began. “I have been having these...dreams, no,  _ nightmares, _ but...they are more like memories?”

 

Connie tilted her head. “Like, from your mother? Memories of the Diamonds?”

 

Steven shook his head. “No, memories that I...created.”

 

“Oh.” Connie realized what he was talking about. She had seen his guilt, literally, when they were fused as Stevonnie. Jasper, Eyeball, and Bismuth. Even Rose herself.

 

“Almost everytime I would close my eyes, I would see the sword in Bismuth’s chest, right near her gem. The sword **_I put there._ ** ” Tears were starting to appear in the corner of his eyes.

 

Connie put her hand on his. “Steven, that wasn’t your fault, you were just protecting yourself, she could have seriously hurt you! And-and, she’s fine right? She poofed and you bubbled her. She’s safe, and so are you.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

 

Steven sniffled, but didn’t actually cry.  _ He has stopped crying more and more. He’s changed in the last year, _ Connie thought with an odd detachment. These things he has learned, it’s changed him. Connie briefly wondered if it has changed her as well. Getting kidnapped and almost being taken to Homeworld was enough to change anyone. She realized how serious things had gotten. It wasn’t a game anymore. This was serious. Homeworld meant business, but so did the Crystal Gems. Connie would not let anything happen to Steven, not this time, and especially not after Homeworld took him away from her, even if it was for a short time (Connie had never been so frustrated, upset or terrified of what would happen during that time).  

 

Steven rubbed his eyes, even though there wasn’t much there, and continued. “But it isn’t just Bismuth I see. Sometimes it’s Jasper. She’s standing there, looking so lost and helpless, but no matter how close I get to her, it’s like there is this force-field blocking me...I-I can’t get to her in time Connie! I just stand there and watch her become corrupted over and over.”

 

Now he is crying, and his palms are pressed to his eyes in an attempt to stop himself. “She wouldn’t let me help her. Why wouldn’t she let me help her? And Bismuth? Mom never even told her the truth, she didn’t even tell any of the gems she had poofed her. They thought Bismuth was corrupted or shattered, all those years! It was no wonder she was angry. Jasper still thinks Pink Diamond was shattered...it’s-it’s just a big old mess, and I want to do something about it, but I just...I don’t know how!” He yelled in frustration.

 

Connie wasn’t sure what to say or do. She put an arm around is shoulder, her other hand coming to rest atop his. She pulled him in close for a side hug. As much as she loved reading about mythical adventures, she was sort of glad her life wasn’t as crazy as this. She wasn’t sure she would be strong enough to handle it. She freaked out after accidentally beating a kid up. Steven had seen so much worse happen and managed to keep it all bottled up for such a long time. Though, nowadays, she supposed her life was getting pretty crazy, especially the more involved with Steven and the gems she got. But she wasn’t even about to compare that with what Steven was going through. 

 

Eventually, Steven’s tears dried up and he gave Connie and sad little smile, before frowning again. “I want to start fixing my mom’s mistakes. She hurt a lot of people, a lot of  _ gems _ . And while I can’t fix the shattered ones (as far as he knew), I want to heal those who were corrupted. They deserve it, and they deserve to know the truth.”

 

“So, like Jasper?” Connie asked softly.

 

Steven nodded. “Especially Jasper. She spent most of her entire existence hating my mom and plotting revenge against her for what she believed she did to Pink Diamond, but she deserves to  **_know_ ** . She deserves to know the  **_truth_ ** . They all do, but I want to start with Jasper first.”

 

Connie nodded. “But how will you uncorrupt her?”

 

Steven looked at the ground. “I uh, haven’t figured that part out yet. I was hoping you could help me figure something out.”

 

“Steven, I’m not sure-” Connie began before Steven cut her off.

 

“Please, please think about it. I don’t know what else to do, or who else to talk to. I haven’t been sleeping properly in such a long time, the guilt is keeping me awake every night. But Pearl and Garnet will just tell me no, and Amethyst might not agree to it either. And I love my dad, but he wouldn’t know how to help. You are the only one I can think of right now that can weigh options without just shutting me down. Please Connie, I need your help.”

 

He looked so distraught, Connie herself wanted to cry. She could see the dark shadows in his eyes and the rings under his eye confirming the lack of sleep. “Alright,” she said placatingly. “Let’s just think about this for a moment.”

 

Steven nodded and took several deep breaths to calm himself. 

 

“So,” Connie began, “Jasper got corrupted after fusing with a corrupted gem right?”

 

Steven nodded.

 

“And she wasn’t corrupted for very long?”

 

“No, it was only few a few minutes.”

 

“Okay,” Connie said allowing a little bit of hope into her voice. “So maybe she isn’t too far gone. I mean, you helped that other gem-”

 

“Centipeetle.” Steven supplied.

 

“Centipeetle,” Connie corrected. “You told me that you were able to heal her a little, and she was even able to remember things that happened before the corruption, during the war.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t last. She reverted back after a few hours, and she was so scared Connie. I could feel her pain.”

 

“But you able to help her for at least a little while Steven,” Connie pointed out. “And she was corrupted for far longer than Jasper.”

 

Steven hummed in thought. “That’s...true,” he admitted. “So you’re saying we can cure her?”

 

“Well, not exactly,” Connie conceded. 

 

Steven visibly deflated and Connie was quick to back track. “I-I mean there is good chance that we could at least do something to help her.”

 

Steven perked up. But it didn’t last long. “So, how I guess is the question.”

 

Connie thought about it. In all honesty, she had no idea. She was worried the gems would be mad at her for even planting the thought about helping Jasper maybe working into his head. “Well, you could use your healing powers,” she suggested.

 

Steven shook his head. “She wouldn’t let me get close enough to her the first time. I doubt this time would be any different.”

 

“Oh, right,” Connie nodded. “You said Jasper was crazy about avenging Pink Diamond right? She wanted to hurt Rose because of what she was believed to have done to her diamond?” Connie had only seen Jasper a few times, and she definitely seemed like she was trying to prove some sort of point to who she believed was Rose.

 

Steven nodded, shivering. He could still here those words before she was fully corrupted.  _ Because of what YOU did to my planet! Because of what YOU did to my Diamond!  _ Steven hadn’t understood it at the time, but he did now. Jasper had been through a war, and then she lost her Diamond, the one she was  _ made  _ for, and was traded away to another diamond, just like that. It was no wonder she was hell-bent on revenge.

 

“So would you say that along with her physical form, Jasper is also mentally ill?” Connie suggested.

 

“Well yeah, corruption doesn’t just mess with your form, it, well how did Garnet put it? It’s like a- a tear in your mind,” Steven explained. 

 

“Right,” Connie agreed. “But maybe she was ill before that? I mean she must have gone through a lot “losing” her diamond. And I am sure she has some sort of PTSD from the war right? And from fusing with Lapis. I mean, I haven’t seen her nearly as many times as you have, but when I did, it seemed as if she had some...problems regarding what was right and what was wrong, and about herself overall.”

 

Steven thought about it. “So, what you’re saying is that she has a lot of mental issues, and she is corrupted?”

 

“Well, yeah.” Connie summarized.

 

“Poor Jasper,” Steven whispered, clutching his gem. “How do we fix something like that?”

 

“I’m...not sure. I am sorry Steven. I know you want to help her, but I just...don’t know how,” Connie apologized.

 

“It’s okay,” Steven said, sounding defeated. “Thanks for talking with me.”

 

“Sure,” Connie murmured. She felt awful that she couldn’t do more as she watched her best friend make his way off the couch and shuffle to the door, head hung low.

 

“See you later,” Steven gave a little wave, heading out.

 

Connie jumped up and ran to the door. “I will call you if I think of something!” She offered hurriedly. 

 

Steven nodded and gave her a little smile. “I will too.” Then, he was gone.

 

Connie sighed, closing her door. 

 

This was going to be one heck of a summer, but neither of them knew it yet. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams

The door closed softly behind Steven as he entered his quiet home. The gems must have been out or were in their rooms. After his talk with Connie, Steven decided to just go home. He was too glum to do much of anything else. 

 

“Hey Steves,” Amethyst greeted from the kitchen where she was currently seated on the counter eating a bag of chips. Steven didn’t even notice she was there.

 

“Oh, hi Amethyst,” Steven replied. “What are you doing?”

 

Amethyst shrugged as she popped the rest of the bag into her mouth and chewed. “Just sitting here, doing what I do best.”

 

Steven looked around the temple.

 

“Pearl is out, and I haven’t seen Garnet all day,” Amethyst answered his silent thought.

 

Steven nodded, sighing as he sat on the couch.

 

“What about you? Where have you been?” the purple gem asked.

 

The sun was sinking in the sky, turning everything a tinge of pink. Connie’s house was about an hour walk, but it really went unnoticed by Steven, who tried running there first, and walked back second, lost in thought.

 

“At Connie’s,” Steven said truthfully.

 

Amethyst gave him a small smile. “Oh yeah, is she uh- outta that learning center thing for the summer?”

 

“It’s called school,” Steven corrected. “And I completely forgot to ask, but yeah, I think she is.”

 

Amethyst gave him a mischievous look. “So...you get to spend more time with your girlfriend?”

 

Steven could feel his face heating and by Amethyst’s laughter, he knew he was blushing. “She isn’t my girlfriend!” he blurted, although…

 

Amethyst laughed for a few seconds more before she looked back at Steven. “Dude, I know I was just kidding. You seemed so serious, I thought I would try and lighten the mood.”

 

Steven bent his head. “I know. I am just so stressed.”

 

Amethyst hopped off the counter and flopped onto the couch, her foot on Steven’s leg as she put her hands behind her head. “Tell me about it.”

Steven looked at Amethyst. The gem looked tired, and maybe a little...hurt? All jokes aside, Amethyst also looked like she was still reeling/suffering from this reveal. Steven looked away, down at the floor. It was his mother’s fault that all of this was happening, and by extension, his. This was too much for a teenager to have to handle. 

 

“Umm,” he began, “how are you Amethyst?”

 

She blew a raspberry before answering. “Garnet won’t talk to anybody, Pearl is a guilty mess, I am sure you are feeling some type of way...and the one person I looked up to most isn’t exactly who I thought she was. I knew she had her secrets. We all did. I respected that. And I know Garnet and Pearl fought with her in the war, and they knew her the longest but...it still hurts. 

 

“Just like I am sure it hurts you to know your mother wasn’t who she claimed to be, it hurts me too. Rose was like my mother. She loved me, protected me, taught me how to be a gem, but also how to be free to make my own decisions. And that’s hard thinking about when she was actually the one to start this whole mess in the first place.”

 

Steven sat in silence. He knew Amethyst looked up to his mom, they all did, even Steven until as of late. But he didn’t know that Amethyst really saw her as a mother figure. Either way, he supposed, it did make sense. Pink Diamond would have been Amethyst’s diamond anyways. Did that mean that Amethyst was only loyal to her, and looked up to her because of that? Steven shook his head at his dark thoughts. 

 

“I’m sorry Amethyst. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t gone searching for answers...I just wanted to know. I didn’t understand, no one would tell me anything! I didn’t know anything about mom, other than what you guys have told me, and then these other gems started coming from Homeworld talking about Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz, and suddenly, I am in the center of everyone’s attention. 

 

“But still, no one could tell me anything because they either didn’t know, or they were silenced. I know I shouldn’t have chased answers, but I just wanted to know so badly! And now everyone is mad at each other, and it’s all my fault.” Steven put his head in his hands as he felt the tears cascade down his cheeks. He was sad sure, but it was more than that...he was angry, he felt betrayed, lied to, stuck, and so, so frustrated that he had no idea how to fix this, any of it.”

 

Amethyst wrapped an arm around him. “Steven, it’s not your fault. You deserved to know who your mother was. Garnet and I, we deserved to know as well, but you did the most. I am sorry we couldn’t give you the answers you wanted, and it wasn’t fair to you that these Homeworld gems kept blaming you for Ro-your mom’s actions.”

 

Steven wiped his eyes and looked at the portrait of his mom on the wall, before sighing and looking at the temple.

 

Amethyst patted his back. “Garnet just needs some alone time to process all of this. The news is affecting us all in different ways. I am sure she will be back to normal soon,” but even as she tried reassuring him this, Steven could see the doubt and fear in her eyes. She didn’t know what was going to happen from here, none of them did. Who knows what Garnet was doing or would do, or when she would be their leader again, or even _ if _ she would be the leader again.

 

Steven gave her a weak smile nonetheless. 

 

Amethyst smiled back, but then got closer to Steven, as if inspecting him. “You seemed pretty exhausted this morning, and you have rings under your eyes. Steven, what’s going on?”

 

Steven let out a weak laugh, pushing the gem away. “I’m fine.”

 

Amethyst narrowed her eyes. “You’re lying. Tell me the truth.”

 

Steven rolled his eyes. “Ugh, you sound like Pearl.”

 

Amethyst blinked. “Good,” she decided. “Pearl isn’t here right now, so someone has to play overprotective mama bird.”

 

Steven stood up. “You wouldn’t agree. You would tell me not to worry about it, just like the others-” he clammed up before he said anything else.

 

Amethyst gave him a soft look, patting the spot next to her to get Steven to sit back down and talk about what was bothering him. “Try me.”

 

Steven sighed and sat. “I don’t even know how to begin,” he admitted. At Amethyst’s silence, he decided to just tell Amethyst what was bothering him, and he did so in one big breath of air.

 

Amethyst put her hands up. “Whoa, whoa, slow down. You wanted to do what?”

 

Steven huffed. “Ugh, I knew you would be against it.”

 

Amethyst crossed her arms. “Well yeah, Jasper is dangerous, especially in her corrupted state.”

 

Steven waved his arms around wildly. “That’s why I want to help her! You and I were there when she got corrupted. Well...Peridot was too, but that’s not important. We saw how loyal she was to the Diamonds, and how affected she was by what she thought mom did to her diamond.”

 

Amethyst scoffed. “Pfft yeah, um did you hear what she said about “purging” those who didn’t fit in the order? I would say she is totally loyal to the diamonds.”

 

“But, that’s just because she doesn’t know the truth. Amethyst, she thinks her diamond was shattered by the rebels. The one being she probably highly regarded and looked up to. Gems on Homeworld...they are made to admire their diamonds right? Possibly even love them? Well, that’s what Jasper is going through. She loved Pink Diamond, and was heartbroken when she was “shattered.”

 

“Well duh,” Amethyst retorted. “That still doesn’t give her the right to think she is so above everyone else Steven. She was mean. There is no saving a gem like that.”

 

Steven tried something else. “Amethyst, Pink Diamond...was Rose Quartz. Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond.”

 

Amethyst laughed sarcastically. “Uh yeah, thank you for pointing that out. I am sure it’s plenty clear to everyone by now.”

 

Steven groaned. “Gah, that’s not what I mean. Look. You all admired Rose Quartz, you missed her when she left, a lot.”

 

Amethyst lowered her gaze.

 

“Jasper was the same way with Pink Diamond. I know it! Why else would she want revenge? You know what happened with Rose, but Jasper doesn’t know what happened to her  _ diamond _ . She wasn’t actually shattered! She’s right  _ here! _ ” Steven lifted his shirt, the gem glowing dimly. “If your situations were reversed, wouldn’t you want to know the truth?”

 

Amethyst looked up to see Steven’s face. There was such passion in his voice. Rose used to give the best speeches, but Steven’s were even better. Amethyst sighed, kicking a dust bunny under the table. “But how are you even going to tell her? She wouldn’t let you heal her in Beta, and she definitely won’t let you now.”

 

Steven’s shoulders drooped “I don’t know. But I  _ will _ figure it out. Too many gems have suffered. I won’t let that keep happening.” A steely look entered his eyes, and a chill went down Amethyst’s spine.

 

She nodded and watched as Steven walked up to his room and flopped down on his bed. The kid had a point. Rose was definitely someone they all looked up to and admired and it...hurt when she left. It hurt like nothing Amethyst had ever felt before. Pink Diamond’s shattering must have felt like a punch in the gut to Jasper. Amethyst had a happy ending, she had a family, and while things were kind of crazy right now, she knew deep down they would all be there for one another. 

 

But Jasper didn’t have that. She wasn’t free, she didn’t have a family. She was forced to do whatever the diamonds wanted or she would be broken. And heck, Jasper really was her sister in a way, with Rose being Pink Diamond and owning both Kindergartens on earth, that made Rose...her diamond. Amethyst wasn’t too sure she liked that feeling. On the one hand, she knew who her diamond was, though she always suspected it was Pink Diamond anyway, but she actually knew her diamond, talked to her each day, was treated like an equal. But on the other, the Crystal Gems were all about freedom and belonging to nobody, but now they knew that Pearl was Pink Diamond’s, and now so was Amethyst. That was two out of the three originals that still belonged to somebody, and while Amethyst liked the thought of belonging, the thought of that someone being a diamond didn’t sit well with her. 

 

She knew that Steven was right, that it wasn’t fair that gems got shattered and corrupted because of what happened, it wasn’t their fault. They had been trying to heal those who had become corrupted for years, to no avail. Even Rose had tried and was unsuccessful, and she was a diamond for crying out loud. But Steven was different, they all saw that. His human side gave him a kind of compassion and empathy for others that the gems themselves were lacking. He got further with Centipeetle than Rose ever had with any gem. Maybe he would figure it out. Amethyst would rather have it been an easy gem to handle, but she couldn’t blame Steven for wanting to help Jasper or anyone else, or try and shut him down. She knew what it felt like to have it seem like everything was all your fault, and wanting to fix it all

 

Amethyst got up and walked to her room, the darkness soothing her sudden headache. When had everything become so complicated?

**______________________________________________________________________**

 

Steven was tossing and turning yet again in his sleep. The dream started off nice, but went from zero to one hundred very quickly. 

 

Steven was doing the back float in the ocean, just enjoying the nice summer breeze, and the sun on his belly. The sky was a beautiful cerulean blue, and there were few clouds in the sky. The birds were singing a lovely tune in the background. For once, Steven felt relaxed and at peace. The water was warm, there was hardly any waves, and nothing to distract him.

 

All of a sudden the sun vanished, throwing everything into darkness. Steven’s eyes popped open as the sea became a swirling vortex. The wind was howling, and there was lightning off in the distance. 

 

_ Great,  _ Steven grumbled in his thoughts.

 

A large wave arose, growling and gurgling as the tide rushed in to add to it. Steven turned around as it got higher and higher. The wave crashed down hard, engulfing him in its murky darkness.

 

Steven opened an eye as he sunk to the bottom, only to see a light. The closer he got, the more blinding it became, but he was too afraid of what be swimming in the ocean near him, so he began to swim closer to it. 

 

When his feet reached the sandy bottom, the light illuminated the darkness, and Steven could see underwater hills and volcanoes. The ground shook, fissures and cracks emerging from where the light lay, and Steven looked around as he shook. The hills were getting larger, turning into caverns, and the volcanoes were blowing steam. Steven shut his eyes as the shaking got worse, but then it stopped. He cracked one eye open. Everything was bright, and...orange. It looked familiar.

 

_ Is this...Beta?  _ Steven wondered. It certainly looked as if that was the case.  _ What am I doing here?  _ Steven walked, the sand burning his feet, but he hardly noticed. He was busy looking at the holes lining the caverns and mountains. He spotted the one he was looking for. The largest exit hole he had ever seen, and the best according to Peridot. Except there were giant green splotches and cracks surrounding the hole and along the walls near it. The hole looked ready to crumble at any given minute.

 

Steven ran over and jumped as high as he could, rolling into the dark hole. He couldn’t see hardly anything, but he could hear someone’s labored breathing. “Hello?” he asked tentatively into the blackness.

 

“Who is there?” A deeper voice answered back. A voice that sounded familiar.

 

“Ummm, it’s me, Steven.”

 

There was silence, and then Jasper stood from the shadows into the light from outside the cave. Even in a dream she was massive. Her arms had spikes and green spots, but she didn’t look as corrupted or as scary as before. Her hair was a wild mess, and she was looking at Steven in disbelief and barely concealed wonderment. 

 

“Wha-what are you doing here?” She asked in shock.

 

“Umm, I am not actually sure. I don’t really know how I got here,” Steven shrugged, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “But now that I am, I can help you!” he added in excitement.

 

Jasper chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I should have figured Rose Quartz would still torture me, even wherever I am right now. Will you ever stop? You’re relentless. You’ve won.”

 

Steven was confused. “I-what?”

 

Jasper turned, the shackles on her arms and legs clanking with the movement, and drawing Steven’s attention down. She was attached...to her hole?

 

“Just leave me be.” Jasper whispered.

 

Steven reached out a hand. “But I want to help you,” he cried.

 

Jasper whirled around, raking a clawed hand up Steven’s chest. Steven was thrown back, yet again by the force of the familiar move. “ **I. Don’t. Want. Your. Help. GET OUT** !” Jasper bellowed, fangs bared. Horns began growing out of her eyes, and the spikes got larger, as did the splotches. 

 

Steven whimpered, and yelped as another clawed hand came at him. He ran toward the exit/entrance and looked back at the monster Jasper was slowly becoming. He gave her a sad look, tears in the corner of his eyes as he watched her struggle. “I’m sorry,” he said, before jumping out of the hole.

  
  
  
  


Steven awoke with a start, his heart racing, and sweat pouring down his forehead. He flicked on a light and looked at his chest. Sure enough, there was faint scratch marks. None of which were bleeding thank goodness, but all of which still hurt. The marks only confirmed that what happened wasn’t just a dream, but something real. 

 

Steven grabbed his phone from the side table and rapidly typed out a message. 

 

_ Connie, I know how to help Jasper. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So excited because I finally know in what direction I want to go with this. I have also decided that if the show "messes up" one of my ideas, I am just going to stick with it, and if it doesn't, then I will use what happens in the show in this story to help the plot along. I can't wait for July 2nd! That's all for now. Comments and kudos are much appreciated haha, hope you enjoyed. Be back soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is formed.

Connie went to bed lost in thought as to how she could possibly help her friend...and maybe not be hurt or killed in the process? She didn't think her parents would like that very much. 

 

Still, Steven was her best friend, her jam bud, and she wanted to help in anyway she could. Her parents could tell something was on her mind the entire night, and as much as they had wished their little girl would open up and tell them what was going on, Dr. Maheswaran had made a promise to herself and her daughter that she wouldn’t butt into her daughter’s life so much, and let her make her own decisions. She was making a conscientious effort to mind her own business. Still, she wished Connie would confide in them at least a little. 

  
  


Doug had come home a week ago and Connie wasn’t there. It was passed curfew, and a school night, and being a police officer, Doug was worried, especially when she didn’t answer her phone. But as he was about to put in a call to the station, the door opened and Connie emerged, looking slightly dazed.

 

“Connie? Where have you been young lady? And why didn’t you answer your phone?” Doug had asked.

 

“Sorry dad, I was at Steven’s,” was the only reply.

 

Doug knew that something had happened by the way Connie was acting, but the look in her eyes begged him to ask no further questions. He had told the Mrs. however, and she told him that they had to try not to push Connie so much for answers anymore, she was getting older and learning and making her own decisions. Doug was secretly glad Priyanka was backing away from being so hard on her, but it still upset him to see his little girl so distraught.

  
  


Today, Priyanka had somehow managed to get out of work before the sun set in the sky, and she even managed to beat Doug home. When she did, she found her daughter sitting at their kitchen table with her heads in her hands. She didn’t even realize the arrival of her mother.

 

“What, no hello?” Priyanka asked with a smirk.

 

Connie didn’t respond.

 

“Connie? I’m home,” the doctor tried again.

 

Connie was still in dreamland.

 

“Connie!” Dr. Maheswaran snapped.

 

Connie jumped out of her stupor. “Oh, you’re home.”

 

The older woman sighed. “Yes, didn’t you hear me walk in? Or speak to you just now?”

 

Connie’s face flushed. “No I didn’t. Sorry ma’am.”

 

Priyanka sat in the opposite seat and studied her daughter. Her face was sagged, and she was biting her lip, a nasty habit, but unfortunately one they all tended to do from time to time when they were deep in thought. “Is...everything alright?” Her mom asked, trying to hard not to seem like she was prying. She was her mother for heaven’s sake, she wanted to make sure her daughter was okay.

 

Connie nodded and heaved a sighed. “Yeah, I’m alright.”

 

Priyanka’s shoulders sagged, a bit hurt that Connie wouldn’t disclose what was going on, but she stood up and grabbed the groceries she had gotten. “Alright, just know both your dad and I are here if you want to talk.”

 

Connie nodded, both shocked and relieved that her mother hadn’t pressured her for more information.

 

“I thought we would have some spaghetti for dinner, would you like to help me?” The woman asked.

 

Connie smiled, glad for a distraction. Plus, that was her favorite meal. “Sure mom.”

 

But the distraction did not last long. Connie was quiet throughout dinner, and listlessly kissed her parents goodnight before heading up to bed early, even though her bedtime was raised an hour due to it being summer.

 

Her parents gave each other worried glances, but bade their daughter farewell and a good night's rest. Maybe she was just sick, and they hoped some sleep would do her good.

 

When Connie woke up in the morning, she had a few notifications on her phone, but sure enough, there was one on there that she desperately hoped she would see in the morning. A text message from Steven. 

 

_ Connie, I know how we can help Jasper. _

 

It was sent at four in the morning, but Connie jumped out of bed and quickly threw her clothes on, brushed her teeth, and patted her hair down from sleeping. 

 

The birds were chirping and it was sunny out. It was also only six in the morning, but Connie was wide awake. 

 

Her parents were as well, sipping their coffee and enjoying the newspaper. They were dressed in bathrobes, and slippers. They looked up as their daughter ran into the kitchen and grabbed two apples, fully dressed and ready to go.

 

“Someone is up early,” her dad joked. “Got any big plans today?”

 

“Yes, what are you doing today?” Her mother asked. “Because your father and I were talking and-”

 

“I’m going to Steven’s, I’ll be back later,” was the girl’s only reply as she dashed out of the kitchen. At the sound of a door closing, her parents looked at each other and heaved a sigh.

**____________________________________________________________**

 

The sun had fully risen by the time Connie arrived at the temple, and the sand was just getting warm by the rays. The gulls were squawking overhead as she ran up the stairs to the porch, taking them two at a time. The door slammed open as Connie stood in the entryway, catching her breath.

 

Amethyst and Pearl looked up from the kitchen where they appeared to be talking about something. They both looked startled as they took in Connie’s arrival.

 

“Oh, hello Connie,” Pearl greeted politely.

 

“Hi ma’am,” Connie replied.

 

“What’s up?” Amethyst asked, arms folded casually.

 

“Umm…” Connie suddenly felt silly. She had told Steven to let her know if he figured something out, and he had. But he didn't tell her to come over. Maybe he didn’t want her over? She  _ had _ basically invited herself. Well...this was awkward.

 

“If you are here for Steven, you can find him in the arena,” Pearl supplied helpfully.

 

Connie heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said, heading to the warp pad.

 

Amethyst and Pearl stared at the girl as she tried and failed to activate the warp.

 

She stomped her foot angrily as nothing happened.

 

She looked up at Amethyst’s laughter, and saw Pearl trying to conceal a smile.

 

“You need help there?” Amethyst asked between giggles.

 

Connie blushed. Of course she couldn’t activate the warp herself. What was she thinking?

 

Pearl wordlessly walked up the stairs, smiling at her student. “It’s okay Connie, it’s early. Humans aren’t up to their best this time of morning.” Pearl could remember Steven falling down his stairs a few times because “it was too early for his brain to work.” She smiled fondly at the memory. The boy wasn’t so clumsy now. He was different.  _ Life _ was different.

 

Connie bowed her head as her face flushed even more, and the warp lit up, whisking the two away. 

 

Connie was silent, Pearl noticed. Normally they would make polite conversation, but not today, something was different, off. “Is everything alright Connie?” Pearl asked, looking down at the girl.

 

Connie looked up. “Hmm? Oh yes, I’m alright. Thanks Pearl.” She had a very strong feeling that Steven did not want any of the gems to know what he was trying to do, so as much as it hurt it to lie to Pearl, she did. 

 

Pearl did not believe her, and was a little hurt that Connie wouldn’t tell her the truth, but she wasn’t her guardian, and she had certainly done her fair share of lying, so she left it alone. 

 

They arrived seconds later, the pinkish sky greeting them.

 

“Thanks Pearl,” Connie said politely, bounding off the pad. 

 

Pearl gave a little wave. She had half the mind to eavesdrop, but she still had her own things to deal with and decided if whatever was going on was important enough, she would become involved in one way or other later on. 

 

Connie ran up the stairs and saw Steven sitting on one of the steps. She ran down and sat beside him. “Steven, I got here as quick as I could, although now that I think about it, you didn’t really invite me, or tell me I had to come over.”

 

Steven had jumped at the sound of her arrival, but settled when he realized it was just Connie. “That’s okay, now I can tell you what happened in person, and explain my idea.”

 

Steven spent the next few minutes talking about his dream, Connie’s face becoming cloudy as she thought it through. 

 

“So...you saw Jasper in a dream? And she was in shackles? In her hole?”

 

Steven nodded, face dark. “She looked so sad Connie, and I knew she was hurting, even if she didn’t want me to help.”

 

“So...what, you’re going to help through your dream powers?”

 

Steven nodded. “I don’t see any better way. She can’t hurt me as much through a dream, and I can help at least try and clean her mind a little.”

 

“But Steven, she still managed to scratch you,” Connie pointed out.

 

Steven lifted his shirt. “Yeah, but she barely left anything, and what she did do, is pretty much gone by now.”

 

Connie knew how much he wanted to help, and she didn’t want to deny him, or his idea. It sounded as though it could work, and she was curious to see what would happen. 

 

“Well, I hope you know what you’re doing. Are you sure this will work?”

 

Steven shrugged. “I don’t know, but I have to try something.”

 

Connie nodded. “Look Steven, you are my best friend, and I will be here for you no matter what happens. If you think this is what you have to do to make this work, then I won’t stop you. I support you. What can I do to help?” she asked as an afterthought.

 

“Well, maybe you can come with me. I told Amethyst last night that I wanted to help Jasper. Maybe once I tell her about my dream and the rest of my plan, she’ll want to help too. I think the three of might just be enough to fix her mind.”

 

The plan sounded good in theory, but Steven still didn’t mention how he would heal Jasper’s physical form. Connie didn’t want to bring it up, Steven finally looked happy that he had a way to begin fixing everything, but she knew it would be a problem in the future.

 

“Maybe tonight or tomorrow you could spend the night? And we could all go together? I want to do this as soon as possible.” He said excitedly. He grabbed Connie’s hand in his excitement, the light coming back to his eyes. “I might finally be able to fix my mom’s mistakes.”

 

Connie blushed at the contact, but the smile was contagious, and she felt herself smiling as well. Maybe this would really work. “I’ll have to ask my parents,” she told him, not wanting to promise anything in case they said no. She had been ignoring them lately, she thought with a pang in her chest. 

 

Steven nodded in understanding, but he still seemed really happy, and Connie was happy that he was happy.

**____________________________________________________________**

 

The two had gotten Pearl and spent the next few hours training, both finally focused on it, but buzzing in anticipation for what they would do later.

 

When the sun was halfway through the sky, about three o’clock in the afternoon, Connie excused herself, saying she wanted to run home and grab some things, and ask her parents for permission of course. Steven was just a friend (sort of), but she had never slept over at his house before. He had at hers, but all of their parents were over there. Well, she had slept at his house that one time, but he wasn’t there. She hoped her parents would be okay with it.

 

Pearl excused herself to her room when they got back, and Steven went in search for Amethyst.

 

He found her down at the beach, eyes closed in the sun. He wondered where Peridot was, but assumed she was on the hill, planting in the garden they started together. It made her happy, and appeared as though to take her mind off of recent events. She knew Steven was Pink Diamond, and at first she freaked out and locked herself in the bathroom for a day, but then she came out and apologized and even gave him a hug, something that was much appreciated.

 

Amethyst didn’t even open her eyes, she felt his presence. “What’s up Ste-man?” she asked, sounding tired.

 

Steven sat cross-legged in the sand. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”

 

“Anytime dude, what’s up?” she asked.

 

“Well...it’s about Jasper,” Steven began pensively. Amethyst seemed to be alright with their last conversation, but he had no idea what she thought now.

 

Amethyst opened her eyes and sat up. “What  _ about  _ Jasper?” she asked with curiosity.

 

Steven wilted a bit under her intense gaze. “Well…” he recounted his dream, and his plan with Connie, and crossed his fingers, hoping and praying that Amethyst would agree and maybe even help.

 

Amethyst was silent for several long moments once Steven finished. Suddenly, she looked at him with a sad expression, and Steven felt his hope deplete. “Look dude, I get it, you want to help, and you want to fix your  _ mom’s  _ mistakes, but...maybe you should wait? I mean, do you even know for sure this will work? And when you fix her mind or whatever, what about the rest of her? She has already suffered enough Steven, it isn’t fair to make her suffer anymore,” she ended in a yell.

 

Steven was taken aback. Where was the hostility coming from? Had he done something wrong?

 

“Amethyst?” He asked reaching out a hand, but redrawing it when he saw her dark expression. He looked out at the ocean instead. “Whatever I said to make you upset, I’m sorry,” he clutched at his gem. “I keep hurting everyone, when all I want to do is help.” He sighed, voice shaky with impending emotion.

 

After a few moments, Amethyst spoke, but it was so low, Steven could barely hear it. He gave her an apologetic look and she thankfully repeated herself.

 

“I’m not mad at you,” she mumbled.

 

Steven looked at her. “You aren’t?”

 

She sighed, standing up and pawing at the sand with her foot. “No. I’m...ugh, I’m mad at the situation. Pearl still feels super bad about the whole thing, and I know part of it has to do with the fact that Garnet won’t speak to her or hardly anyone else. Peridot is…” she cut herself off with whatever she was about to say there. 

 

“This whole thing is just messed up,” she continued. “Rose was Pink Diamond, but then she gave herself up to have you, but now you are being blamed for her mess by others, and the fact that you feel like you have to right her wrongs instead of being a kid yourself, it’s just-”

 

Steven was now standing, enveloping Amethyst into a hug. 

 

The purple gem sniffled, unaware that she had been crying, but thankful for the calming contact Steven gave her. 

 

Ever since their talk the other night, Jasper’s corruption had been the one thing on her mind. The whole thing was sickening. Jasper’s life after the rebellion was horrible, and it made Amethyst feel sick, more so than when she ate that rotten burrito, and a type of bad she had never felt before. 

 

She reciprocated the hug, and rested her head on Steven’s. “I want to help Jasper too, I really do,” she began, “I just want to be sure she won’t suffer anymore. She...she was kind of like my sister. Born under the same Diamond. Different kindergarten but, those Amethysts and Jaspers in the zoo, some of them were from Beta. 

 

“I doubt Jasper even got to know what happened to them, assuming she knew them of course. But her Diamond was gone, and she was just given away, like a prize or something. It isn’t fair. And then the corruption? Yes, she fused with a corrupted gem, but she couldn’t have known what would have happened. She couldn’t have. 

“And I just, I know what it feels like to be lost in your own head and to feel worthless. I don’t want that for anyone, including Jasper.”

 

Steven took a step back. “Yes, but that’s how you could help! You guys actually have a lot in common, and I bet she would listen to you more. Jasper seems like the type to (begrudgingly) respect those who have beat her in a fight.”

 

“But that was technically Smoky, and Peridot who delivered the last blow.”

 

“But I have a feeling it won’t matter. She thinks I just want to torture her some more,” which upset Steven more than he could express, “but maybe with you and Connie there, she won’t feel so attacked?”

 

“Do you really think Connie should come? It might not be safe.”

 

Steven gave Amethyst a look of determination. “Connie has trained so much and so hard for a long time now. She knows how to handle herself. She has been through a lot with us too, she’s seen things Amethyst, things no one else has, except us. 

 

“And, her mom is a doctor, so I bet she could talk to Jasper and help heal her. Connie would definitely make a difference, and I would love if you joined us. I  _ know _ we can help Jasper and make things right. I can feel it.” His phone buzzed at that moment and he pulled it out of his pocket, a smile gracing his lips. If Amethyst said no, it seemed as if he at least wouldn’t be alone in his ventures tonight.

 

“Who is it?” Amethyst asked.

 

Steven held up the phone for her to see. “It’s Connie. She says yes, she can stay the night. She can help.” He lowered the phone and waited for Amethyst’s answer.

 

The gem closed her eyes, and on an exhale of breath, before she could change her mind said, 

  
  
  


“Count me in.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter isn't much, even though it showed eight pages on docs, but next chapter we will be getting into some more plot, and some heavier stuff I promise, just bare with me haha. I wanted to post yesterday, but my hand really hurt, and it hurt to type for some reason, but I think I am better now. Have ya'll seen that new trailer for the arc this coming week? With the diamonds attacking? That made me so excited, I was jumping up and down when I saw it. It seems as though my canon thoughts will be changed with the arc, and made different, so I am just going to continue this how I want, and if the shows provides anything useful to my plot, I will definitely involve it. It doesn't quite seem as if they are going to heal Jasper yet though, so hopefully I still have time. 
> 
> As always, hope you enjoyed, be on the lookout for a new chapter soon.


	6. Special Note

Hey dear reader, thank you so much for reading Jasper so far, I hope you like it. 

A few things I wanted to mention before continuing this work. First, Jasper is inspired by Back to Beta, a slightly older story on archive, but it is amazing, it's such a great read, so I recommend you give it a try (I was unable to find the author, so if this is your work, please let me know so I can fix this page).

While Back to Beta is my inspiration, and the beginning is a little similar, I am definitely aiming to make this Jasper redemption story very very different.

Which leads me to my next point, after every that has happened with the recent bomb (and omg was it amazing!) I am going to take a small break to figure out how to incorporate everything properly in order to give you a great story. Yes, I haven't uploaded to this in a while and I am sorry, I promise I will soon. If you read this whole thing, thank you so much, enjoy Jasper, and enjoy your day.

**Author's Note:**

> Since recent revelations, one thought has been in my mind, and I know it has been on other's as well. Someone needs to tell Jasper, Bismuth too, but Jasper most importantly. I really want a Jasper redemption, and I know we will most likely get that in future episodes, but I couldn't wait. Let's see how far with this I can go before more episodes lead to more cannon and ruin my cannon-divergence ideas. Hey, maybe I will be on to something with this and it won't be too different from the show. Either way, thanks for reading, and enjoy!


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